A baseball game is like a roller coaster of emotions from start to finish. Opening Day ended in walk-off fashion, Corbin Burnes pitched a gem, and the Brewers’ defense shined throughout the series. What was missing, though? The Brewers’ offense. Everyone had high hopes after the comeback victory on Opening Day, but the next two games the offense just fell…flat.
Each series is a new beginning, though. The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs start a three-game series at Wrigley Field. Game One features lefty Brett Anderson for the Brewers and righty Trevor Williams for the Cubs. Tonight’s game is at 6:40 P.M. central time.
Brewers offense vs. Trevor Williams
Trevor Williams didn’t want to be a pirate anymore; please get my Seinfeld reference. Williams is making his Cubs debut against the Crew tonight. In his five years with the Pirates, Williams has faced Milwaukee nine times, whether it was in the capacity of a reliever or starter. The right-hander has started eight of his nine games against the Brewers. In his career against the Brewers, he has held their offense to a .209 batting average. There are a few current Brewers on the roster that have done well against the former Pirates pitcher. The team’s new lead-off hitter, Kolten Wong, has a .977 OPS and is 7-for-18 with a home run against Williams.
Orlando Arcia, who has started the past two games, has a .978 OPS versus Williams with a .313 batting average. Recently, the offense has been struggling, and there are a few on the roster that have struggled against Williams in the past. There are four current Brewers that are 0-for against him. On the bright side, Keston Hiura has three home runs against the new Cubs’ starter.
Brett Anderson
The newly re-signed Brett Anderson is making his first start back with the Brewers. In four career games against the Cubs, Anderson has a 2.66 ERA with 20 innings under his belt. The ground ball pitcher has been solid with the Brewers and will hopefully continue to be that guy for the Crew. The Cubs’ offense has limited at-bats versus Anderson, so their sample sizes are little to none. Matt Duffy and Jason Heyward lead the way with the most career at-bats against the Brewers’ lefty with 12 and seven. Since Anderson is a left-handed pitcher, there could be an abundance of right-handed hitters in the Cubs lineup.
Lineups
The I-94 rivalry resumes tonight in Chicago. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m.
Watch: @BallySportWI
Listen: @620wtmj #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/W0Q2aNgqjN— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 5, 2021
Here is tonight's #Cubs starting lineup!#CubTogether pic.twitter.com/06GKHGotSx
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 5, 2021
Final Thoughts
It’s plain and simple. The offense needs to come alive against Trevor Williams and the Cubs. It’s a 162 game marathon, but the Brewers can’t afford to fall behind early.
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